Through the Haze
by Lunam noctre
Summary: After a fight breaks out between her and Daniel, an emotionally exhausted Jane turns in for the night, only to find a band of pirates surrounding her when she awakens. Thinking she is the girl they've been looking for, they capture her and take her to Neverland, where she meets someone who shows her that it's okay to dream of a place that's better than reality. EDITED. Slight AU.
1. Just a Fairy Tale

**Author's Note: I'd like to start this off with a sincere apology; I haven't been updating as I'd hoped I'd be able to, but the fact of the matter is, I'm a horrible procrastinator. I keep setting deadlines for myself to get around to writing out the chapters for my story, but haven't exactly met any of them, as I'm sure those of you who aren't new to this fanfic well know. So, I'm going to be completely honest, and say that I will update whenever I can - provided I have the chapters all written out, and more thoroughly _edited_. Editing is a serious business, and it seems that no matter how many times I fix a chapter, I read through it only to find that some sentences just aren't worded quite right. So from now on, I'm going to triple check my chapters and make sure that they all help the story flow smoothly, and that the grammar is, at least to some degree, perfect.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to _Peter Pan_ or _Peter Pan II_, _Return to Neverland_ nor do I own the copyrights to _The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea_. All characters included in this fanfic belong to Disney.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER I<strong>

** Just a Fairy Tale**

As she stared out her bedroom window, Jane remembered a time where she still believed in the tale of Peter Pan. She was six, just old enough to become enraptured by a fairy tale, yet too young to pass one off as such. It was bedtime, and she had stubbornly refused to go to sleep without hearing about him the fantastical world of Neverland, bombarding her mother with questions - _serious _questions that needed to be answered.

And Wendy answered them, doing her best to clear up any misconceptions her daughter may have had along the way. She told her of Peter and Tinkerbell, and the adventures they went accompanied by a group of rambunctious youths known as the Lost Boys. She told her of Hook and the crocodile, and how the captain hated Peter for causing him so much distress. (When Jane asked her mother what _kind _of distress, Wendy told her that a crocodile wanted to eat him "for some reason." Jane was skeptical, but was so entranced by the story that she forgot to ask why. It wasn't until she turned ten that Wendy told her the truth). She told her of the mermaids' hatred towards human girls. (When asked why, Wendy responded by saying that it was because mermaids wanted legs so that they could roam Neverland as they pleased - Wendy had refused to tell her the real reason, and decided to wait until Jane was a little older).

When the story was done, Jane asked her mother if she knew where Neverland was. Wendy brought her over to the nursery window and pointed out at the sky. Jane looked, and saw two bright stars twinkling down at her in the night. At first, Jane didn't understand, and looked all around before following her mother's finger again. Nothing. Surely Mother was mistaken - as far as Jane was concerned, land couldn't float, and she certainly couldn't recall seeing any pieces of rock periodically gliding past her window...

"Where is it, Mother? I can't see it."

"Second star to the right, and straight on till morning."

Jane looked again, and pictured it; Neverland, trapped inside a star, with pirates, fairies, and the boy who was destined to never grow up. She decided then and there that she would like to live there. But then a thought struck her; why was it that apart from Tiger Lily, the daughter of an Indian chief, there weren't any girls there? It seemed rather odd to Jane that the only other females in Neverland were either adults, fairies, or mermaids. In her mind, that wasn't fair - how come only _boys _could roam about Neverland all they pleased? Didn't any of them have sisters? Well, Jane decided then and there that should she ever find herself in Neverland that she would do whatever it took to become the very first Lost Girl.

When she announced this to her mother, Wendy laughed, and agreed that that was the only way. Jane never had a more pleasant sleep than the one she had that night.

After she finished her memory, the Jane felt a wave of sorrow wash over her.

_But that was seven years ago_, Jane thought dejectedly as the wailing of a siren caused her to avert her gaze to the firemen below, who were spraying water through the window of the house across the street in an attempt to put out the flames breached several feet above the rooftop on one side, the light from them dancing across the wet pavement in a blaze of long golden strokes. Had Jane been standing a fair distance from the window, she could have mistaken the house for a large, blue-tinted candle left on the sill. _I've grown since then. I had to, what with Father leaving to fight in the war and all... and the bombings... _

Through the wall of the room adjacent to hers, Jane could hear her mother's voice, pitching high one instant then receding to a low murmur in the next. She was telling Daniel another bedtime story, and there was no doubting that it was about Peter Pan, when her little brother requested one almost every sighed and turned away from the window before plopping herself down on the seat just below it. He just couldn't seem to get enough of those silly stories.

Unlike Jane, Daniel believed in Peter Pan with all his heart, and liked to pretend he was Peter in his games. Since Jane had stopped playing along with him two years ago, he had to resort to casting Nanatwo, their Newfoundland, as Captain Hook, or one of the Lost Boys. (Although to be fair, he dubbed Nanatwo as the first Lost Dog, reserving the Lost Girl title for Jane, in case she had a change of heart). Jane appreciated the gesture, she really did, but it was just... hard. How could he expect her to go along with his games when she herself didn't see any point to it? How could she possibly believe in such fantasies when all around them people were_ dying_, homes were being destroyed? And yet none of it seemed to faze Daniel. Instead he passed it all off as Captain Hook's doing. Jane knew that it was her mother who put the idea in his head to help him cope with the destruction going on around them, but she also knew that sooner or later he would have to accept that it really wasn't the work of a pirate that was being carried out here. And a_ fictional_ one at that. And yet, arguing with Daniel and her mother only made her feel worse, and Jane felt that by not believing in Peter Pan, she was letting her mother down and disobeying her father's request to take care of the family, and that she wasn't fulfilling her duties as a daughter or a sister.

In spite of managing the supplies when going out to the market and trying her hardest to make sure everyone felt secure during these frightful times, Jane still didn't feel that she was doing enough to help them, at least, not emotionally, by not going along with her mother's stories.

A hard knot formed at the back of her throat, blocking her airway as hot tears pooled in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks in thin rivulets. A few droplets landed in her lap, peppering her nightgown. She looked over at her door through the blurriness that her tears had accumulated, thinking how silent it was compared to when she'd slammed it shut after Nanatwo walked out; thinking how childish it was of her to argue with her brother over something so ridiculous, so _simple_. How could she sit here and even _pretend_ to think herself important and grown-up when she continued to give her family the cold shoulder when it came to those stupid fairy tales? She may have believed in them once, but... well... too much had happened since her father had left for her to cling to such fantasies as treasure hunting with the Lost Boys and foiling the plans of an eccentric captain with the help of Peter and Tinkerbell. No, the only people she could put her trust in were people like her father, who would see to this war's end and help bring a little more peace into the world, to say nothing of the scholars she had read about in school who put reality before fantasy.

Leaning back against the wall, she wiped away her tears with the back of her knuckles. Out of the corner of her eye, the blurry figure of a Peter doll appeared, lying in a crumpled heap on the floor. Wendy had made it for her as a gift for her seventh birthday. Until she'd turned eleven, she kept it close by her at all times - even to school. Back when she still believed... Back when she thought all the world was good and kind, and that people had enough heart to not harm one another without a reason.

A new wave of sorrow threatened to overtake her, and more tears spilled. She wasn't sobbing exactly, but she was going through the soul-breaking distress of one who abandons childhood pleasures and instead adopts reality.

Weariness made her eyes feel heavy, combined with the weight of tears. Wiping them away, she nestled down into the cushion beneath her, curling herself into a tight ball, where she lay in quiet agony until sleep finally lulled her mind.


	2. Abducted

**Author's Note: Hello, again! Well, as promised in the first chapter, I'll be working to make absolutely sure that current and future chapters from here on out help the story flow, and (hopefully) convey the messages and themes I want it to share with you, and, of course, is written using proper grammar.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters featured in this fanfic. They belong to Disney.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER II<strong>

**Abducted**

While Jane slept, a large black shape hovered just above a hair's breadth over the house. Had anyone outside the Darling family believed in the story of Peter Pan, they would have been aghast to find that it was a ship. However, since that was not the case, it remained invisible, and at the top of the main mast, a jolly roger flag, the very same flag of which the vessel was named after, flapped in the strong breeze. Overhead, seagulls circled around it, surveying the scene. As they watched, ropes were flung over the sides of the craft, and down them came Captain Hook and two of his crew. One of them, Mr. Smee, Hook's bumbling yet most sensible crew-member, had an empty sack slung across his shoulder. As he reached the end of the rope, his hands slipped, and he fell the last three feet down onto the roof tiles, landing with a loud "Oof!," and the sack fluttered gradually down, and came to land on his face.

With the wind temporarily knocked out him, and a sore head and limbs to boot, Mr. Smee removed the sack and struggled to stand up. After much stumbling, he managed to regain his balance before picking up the sack and following Captain Hook, who had reached the edge of the roof and was proceeding to step down onto one of the window sills below.

"Are you sure we should be doing this, Cap'n?" Mr. Smee began as he too swung himself over the side. "I mean, you don't know how much time has passed since Peter even brought Wendy to Neverland. How do you know she hasn't already grown up? After all, time does pass more quickly where we're from."

Beside him, Captain Hook glared at him in frustration, eyes flashing as he sneered. "Now isn't the best time to be questioning the captain, is it, Smee?"

Mr. Smee felt the blood drain from his face, a sudden coldness sweeping over him as he realized his mistake... and just how high up they were. "Oh, _no _Cap'n! I wasn't questioning you, pirate's honor! I was just saying that maybe Wendy has grown up, or maybe she moved to a different location. How do you know if Tinkerbell only told us to come here to trick us?"

Captain Hook scoffed. "Nonsense! People here don't age any more than we do! And as for Tinkerbell, she knows that if she plays me for a fool it'll be on the wretched boy's head."

"Yes, Cap'n." Mr. Smee agreed with a soft sigh. If there was one thing that could be remarked about the captain, it was that there was no end to his perseverance.

**TTH**

Inside the house, Jane turned in her sleep, her back facing the window. A sudden creaking noise reached her ears and woke her up. Drowsily, she opened her eyes, squinting through the gloom at her bedroom door. Perhaps her mother was coming in to say goodnight? But no, the door didn't appear to be opening, so where was that sound coming from? Below her, a shadow was growing on the floor. Jane peered closely at it, eyes widening, as she tried to make some sense of what it could possibly be. At first, it appeared to be nothing more than a huge blob. Then, it started to form arms and a pair of legs... and a very plumy head. Jane felt her heart race. Before she could ask herself who the shadow could possibly belong to, the shutters burst open, sending a blast of air sweeping into the room. Jane whipped around in fright, only to see the night sky and its residents staring innocently back at her. A cool breeze wafted through, brushing against her cheeks almost soothingly.

_What in the world...?_

Unnerved, she reached up, and pulled the shutters towards one another before closing them completely. _I hope this is just some strange dream..._ _A dream within a dream..._

Suddenly, the floorboards groaned from behind. Jane felt her heart jump into her throat, and a shiver of fear shot down her spine. Someone was in the room with her, and Jane had a suspicious feeling that she was being watched...

Just then, a rough, gravel-like voice slurred, "Hello, _Wendy_..."

Jane whirled around, and gasped at the sight of two men standing behind her. Before she could make out any particular details about them, a gag was pulled across her mouth. Jane tried to scream, but the cloth muffled her protests. The man at her side proceeded to grab her wrists and tie them together with a rope that was just as scratchy and tough as his hands. His grip was so tight Jane was certain he would leave bruises. Glancing over at him, she noticed the glint of a sword hanging at his side. If Jane's heart could beat any faster, she was sure it would rival a hummingbird's wings in flight.

Turning back to the other two men, Jane's eyes widened as one of them approached her with a large sack.

"My apologies, miss," he said in a half-whisper as he pulled the sack over her head.

It took some effort, but the two men managed to force Jane into the sack and tie off the end, in spite of all her kicking and thrashing. While this was going on, she was sure she heard one of them say, "Now, now, miss. Don't fuss. We're not going to hurt you."

...How could he say that, when it was made rather clear to her that at least of them was armed? Jane shuddered, and decided that she didn't want to know just how many times that man had used his sword... how many lives he'd taken...

Suddenly, a siren went off, and Jane knew that another air raid was coming. More bombs. More destruction. More _death_...

"_Curses_!" Jane nearly jumped out of her skin at the outburst. "Bring her down!" The voice, which she assumed belonged to the first man, seemed to be coming from the window, as was an array of light. Without a doubt the searchlights had been activated.

A loud _slam_ sounded, and Jane was lifted up, one arm tucked under her knees, and the other her back, and suddenly she was moving, and relatively quickly at that. Of course. They were hardly in any position to stop and ask for a bite to eat. Not in the middle of a kidnapping, that was for sure.

It lasted only a moment, and soon Jane was placed on what she could only assume was a hard wooden floor. Her back was leaned against a hard surface, and her legs were bent halfway to her chest. Since the sack was fairly small, it offered little leg room, and the fabric pulled from her head to her knees. Oh, well. At least a little light filtered in through the fabric. She'd rather have that, than be locked up in total darkness.

Somewhere off to her right, she could hear that voice from before giving orders. She couldn't make out just what he was saying, due to the harried footfalls all around her, but there was no mistaking the fact that he was used to barking out commands, he sounded so stern.

More voices blared out, all of them male. Jane's eyebrows knit together in curiosity. Just who were these men who captured her? She didn't recognize any of the voices, and from the sound of it, she estimated that there were around twenty men here. Every single one of them was running about, shouting and cursing at one another. Some of their word usage resembled that of the common seafaring men that worked the ships at the docks along the coast.

_How can that be_? Jane wondered, confused. _I'm on a craft high up in the air! How can I possibly be on a boat, when they can't fly? ...Either I'm dreaming, or I'm having an extremely vivid hallucination!_

Abruptly, she felt the plane/boat shift forward; well, sideways, in her case, and they were off. From the feel of it, they were going pretty fast. Unfortunately for Jane, in order for the vessel to rise up, its bow needed to be tilted up towards the sky, which meant that she had no choice but to slide all the way down to the stern of the ship.

"_Ow!_" Jane shouted, as she collided into the hard wood. No one came to her aid as tears formed into her eyes. Her entire right side felt as though it were on fire.

The flight continued. The ship swayed back and forth as it turned, climbing higher and higher into the sky.

Soon, the brig reached the infamous star, and sailed through. Jane did not see it, but an abundance of colors stared flashing all around, all different shades of blues, reds, oranges, yellows, greens. They illuminated the ship, and danced across the hull, and shown through the unfurled sails. It was nothing short of magnificent.

All too quickly, it was replaced with fluffy white clouds, and a seemingly endless blue sky that seemed to go on for many miles. Down below was a vast ocean surrounding a lush green island. The waves glinted harshly in the light, but that didn't faze the crew. Not in the slightest. Being pirates, they were used to bright sunlight.

Jane's heart sank down into her stomach as the craft angled towards the ground, sending her sliding all the way back up to the front of the ship. Shutting her eyes tightly, she braced for impact, screaming through her gag.

Suddenly, she came to a slow halt as the floor tilted up a bit as the ship made its descent. Soft footfalls approached her, and came to stop at her side. And then that same voice from before, more softly this time, as if the owner were speaking to himself, said with an almost menacing chuckle, "Welcome to Neverland, my dear."


	3. The Main Course

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters featured in this fanfic. They belong to Disney.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER III<strong>

**The Main Course**

She was alone, isolated in both mind and body. Or, as alone as one could be on a ship full of pirates, and _Captain Hook's_ ship, no less! In a place where no one grew up. A place where a cheeky green-clad boy led a band of lost children accompanied by a hypersensitive fairy. A place where a nefarious captain, who held a massive grudge against the boy, tried - and failed - to be rid of Peter for countless years. _Neverland..._ The one place Jane doubted had ever existed. Yet, here she was.

_I've got to be dreaming_, Jane thought, picking at a loose string on her nightgown. _This must be the universe's way of punishing me for fighting with Daniel. Karma, that's all this is._

In spite of the sun beating heavily upon her back, the cries of the seagulls above, and the gentle rocking of the waves against the boat, Jane was determined to hold onto whatever hope she had left that she would wake up soon, that she wasn't really there. To accept this as real simply wasn't an option.

Suddenly, Hook's voice rang out.

"Mr. Smee! Are those shellfish ready yet? At this rate, we'll have to consider ourselves lucky if the beast hasn't already left in search of another hunting ground!"

"They're almost ready, Cap'n, don't you worry," Mr. Smee assured him. "I was just asking the cook to throw in an extra crab or two, just in case the creature's particularly hungry today. Can't be too careful, you know."

"Never mind that, Smee," Captain Hook said with a dark chuckle, "Those are just the appetizer. I'm sure the beast will prefer the main course to a few meager shellfish."

Jane furrowed her eyebrows, puzzled. _Main course?_

"Main course, sir?"

"Aye, Smee."

"But, Cap'n... what _is _the main course?" Mr. Smee asked, baffled. "We haven't enough to feed the crew _and _the octopus!"

Jane blinked. _An octopus? What could _he_ possibly want with an octopus?_

"_Pan_, Smee!"

"Pan, sir?"

"Aye."

"Cap'n, pardon my asking, but why would an octopus eat a human? The only food I know they consume are shellfish."

"That's why we're giving him some, Smee! But first, we must wait for Tinkerbell to retrieve the boy before we do. Once he hears that Wendy has been captured, he'll set out to try and save her."

"Are you sure about this?" Smee asked. "What about the girl? On account of what I could see, despite the darkness, she doesn't look much like Wendy."

Captain Hook looked at him pointedly. "Have you ever known me to be unsure, Mr. Smee?"

"Why no, certainly not, Cap'n. I was only saying that - "

"Then it's settled," Captain Hook interrupted. "Go get the girl ready."

Smee sighed dejectedly. "Aye aye, sir."

Jane's heart pounded in her chest, and the breath caught in her throat as footsteps approached her.

Smee's fingers fumbled with the knot that held the sack closed. On capturing Jane, he'd tied it rather tightly, so it was some time before he managed to loosen it. When it finally came undone, bright sunlight shot through, temporarily blinding Jane. Smee started to pull the sack down, sliding it off her. Then, he gasped.

"Why, Cap'n! This isn't Wendy at all! See? Her hair - it's auburn! And look, she's not wearing a blue nightgown!"

Jane blinked rapidly, adjusting her eyes to the light as Smee helped her to stand up, his hands grasping her shoulders gently, yet firmly.

"What?!" Captain Hook stormed up to her and pushed her chin up with his hook, inspecting her face from every angle with his coal-black eyes. After a few moments, his eyes widened in realization. "Why, I do believe you're right, Smee. This isn't Wendy at all!"

Jane was too frightened to move, eyes wide as she stared back. He glared down at her, his mouth a hard line. His overall expression made it clear that he was not pleased with this outcome.

"It appears Tinkerbell has indeed lied to us." Hook mused, and removed his arm, scratching his chin.

"Well, if she isn't Wendy, then she is of no use to us." He turned on his heel and headed towards the stern of the brig. Over his shoulder, he called out to Smee, "Have her walk the plank. If you need me, I'll be in my quarters."

"Aye aye, Cap'n." Mr. Smee assured, saluting him with a smile before turning back to Jane. "Best do as the cap'n says, miss."

With that, he ushered her over to the side of the ship, where a long plank jutted out over the sea.

Jane shrieked, and thrashed around, trying to break free from Mr. Smee's grasp.

"Steady now, miss! Don't worry, it's just a little sea water, is all."

_Oh, _is_ it now?_

Jane continued to struggle, trying to pull herself away from him. Surprisingly, she managed to break free... only to crash into another pirate who was just coming up on deck, knocking them both over, and Jane cried out as she landed heavily on her stomach, her chin colliding painfully into the weather-beaten floorboards.

With a groan, the pirate sat up, rubbing his head. Mr. Smee dashed over to them, and again helped Jane to her feet before holding her in place.

"Are you all right, miss?" He asked worriedly. "That was some fall!"

Disoriented, Jane could only sway from side to side, blinking back tears as the other pirate stood up, glaring coldly down at her.

"What's the big idea, Smee?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, Mr. Starkey." Mr. Smee apologized. "I was just escorting the young lady over to the plank like the cap'n asked, but she ran off."

"Is that so?" Mr. Starkey leered at Jane, and grasped her arm so roughly that she was sure he would leave bruises. "I'll take over from here, Smee."

Mr. Smee started to protest, but Starkey was already dragging Jane towards the side of the boat, paying him no heed. Jane screamed as she was pushed overboard.


End file.
